November 20 2025 Complete Yellow Wallpaper Work - All 4 Stories - Themes Review - Review Re: Short Story Unit Kahoot & Personal Novel Read Assignment

Silent Read 20 min

Cart 3 - Click HERE for  Short Story Review Kahoot - Independent

1st Half - complete work re: Yellow Wallpaper 

Review Reading.

Review Min 33-35 Video Excerpt Assessment.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand key themes in The Yellow Wallpaper, including confinement, mental health, and identity.

• Analyze narrative voice and symbolism through collaborative discussion.

1. Warm-Up: “What’s Behind the Wall?” (10 minutes)

In Pairs:

• Each pair brainstorms what wallpaper might symbolically hide.

• Prompt: “If wallpaper could hide emotions, secrets, or thoughts, what would be behind it?”

• Share one idea per pair with the class.

Notes: 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Author Bio 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) was an American writer, feminist, and social reformer known for her powerful works on gender roles, mental health, and the limitations placed on women in society.

Gilman grew up in a time when women had very few rights, and she used her writing to challenge the status quo. She believed strongly in women’s independence—economic, intellectual, and emotional.

Her most famous short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), was inspired by her own experience with postpartum depression and a harmful treatment called the “rest cure,” which required women to avoid work and creative activity—essentially trapping them. Instead of healing her, it nearly destroyed her mental health.

Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper to expose the dangers of ignoring women’s voices and emotions, and it’s now recognized as a landmark work of early feminist literature.

Beyond fiction, she was also a lecturer, activist, and author of many essays and books promoting equality and social reform. She believed that society could not progress unless women were treated as full and equal participants.

Group Work: Voice & Sanity (15–20 minutes)

Provide key excerpts from the narrator’s descent into madness.
In Pairs:

• Take turns reading aloud to each other.

• Discuss:

  • What do we notice about how the narrator’s voice changes?

  • Where does the line blur between imagination and reality?

  • How does the setting reflect her mental state?

After Break - 

Written Test - 20 Marks - Paragraph - comparison - sample: 

Both The Lottery and The Yellow Wallpaper explore the theme of oppression, though they do so in different ways. In The Lottery, the entire village blindly follows a violent tradition that forces one person to be sacrificed each year, showing how society can oppress individuals through unquestioned customs and group pressure. Tessie Hutchinson becomes a victim not because of anything she has done, but because the community believes the ritual is necessary. In contrast, The Yellow Wallpaper reveals personal and domestic oppression through the narrator’s husband, who controls every aspect of her life under the guise of medical treatment. Her confinement in the room and the dismissal of her opinions show how patriarchal authority can silence and harm women. While Jackson warns readers about the dangers of conformity and mob mentality, Gilman highlights the damaging effects of restricting a person’s freedom and self-expression. Together, the stories show that oppression can come from both society and intimate relationships, and that unquestioned power often leads to harm.

All Short Stories - Themes Review

1. The Black Cat — Edgar Allan Poe

Major Themes

• The Unreliable Narrator / Self-Deception
The narrator insists he is sane, but his violent behaviour and twisted logic show the opposite. 

• Alcoholism and Loss of Control
Substance abuse drives the narrator’s moral decline, showing how addiction can erode empathy and judgment.

• Guilt and Psychological Torment
The narrator’s guilt manifests symbolically (the cat’s appearance; the “eye” upon him). His attempt to hide his crime leads to his exposure.

• Human Capacity for Violence
The story reveals how ordinary people can commit horrific acts when consumed by rage, fear, or addiction.

2. The Lottery — Shirley Jackson

Major Themes

• Blind Tradition / Conformity
The villagers follow a violent ritual simply because it has “always been done.” Tradition can be used to justify cruelty.

• Scapegoating and Violence in Society
A random person is sacrificed to maintain social order, highlighting how communities direct their fears or frustrations onto one individual (or specific groups)

• Normalization of Evil
Jackson contrasts the peaceful village with the brutal end, showing how cruelty can be hidden beneath everyday life.

• Peer Pressure and Groupthink
Even those who question the ritual still participate. This mirrors real-world examples of mob mentality.

3. Identities — W.D. Valgardson

Major Themes

• Stereotyping and Assumptions
Characters make quick judgments based on appearance, leading to tragic consequences. The officer’s snap decision shows the danger of implicit bias.

• Identity and Self-Perception
The man feels more “himself” when dressed casually, but society interprets him differently based on clothing and setting.

• Social Class and Prejudice
Crossing into a lower-income neighbourhood triggers fear and suspicion, revealing class-based assumptions.

• Miscommunication and Misinterpretation
The protagonist’s inability to communicate his intentions leads to misunderstanding and violence.

4. The Yellow Wallpaper — Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Major Themes

• Oppression of Women / Gender Roles
The narrator’s husband controls her medical treatment, voice, and movement. The story critiques the 19th-century “rest cure” and patriarchal authority.

• Mental Illness and Isolation
Forced isolation worsens her mental health. Her journal entries become less coherent as she deteriorates.

• Imprisonment (Literal & Symbolic)
The wallpaper, barred windows, and locked room represent her confinement. The woman she sees trapped in the wallpaper mirrors her own situation.

• The Power of Self-Expression
Writing becomes her only outlet for sanity, yet she must hide it. Suppression leads to psychological collapse.

Cart 3 -  Short Story Review Kahoot - Independent

If Time - Personal Novel Read! Assignment Teams